 Topic 26. Second Paper of 20th Century Negro Literature. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. According by Shasta Oakland, California. Topic 26. Second Paper of 20th Century Negro Literature by Professor Henry A. Hunt. The Negro as a farmer. Henry A. Hunt was born in Hancock County, Georgia in 1866. He attended the public schools of Sparta, the county seat, until 1882 when he entered Atlanta University and was graduated from the college course in 1890. He also completed the course of instruction given in the industrial department of that university. He kept up his expenses in a major by working as a carpenter during his vacations and during his spare hours while in school. He was considered a most promising young man and a thorough scholar by his professors and schoolmates. He became a professing Christian while pursuing his college course. In all of the athletic sports of the university, he took an active part and served as captain of the baseball team for several years. He graduated with the highest honors of his class through a most flattering recommendation from the superintendent of the public schools of Atlanta, Georgia. He was called in 1891 to the Principalship of the Charlotte Graded School, which position he filled acceptably until he resigned during the same year to accept the superintendency of the industrial department of Biddle University, Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1896, he was given, in addition to his industrial work, the superintendency of the boarding department of Biddle University. These two positions, he is now filling in a most acceptable manner. Mr. Hunt's work and close touch with the young men of the university have been most gratifying. He encourages and takes part with them in all of their sports, being a leading spirit in their athletic association. He is a noble example of the manly man and his influence over the students for straightforward and manly endeavor has been truly helpful. The respect and esteem in which he is held by the graduates and undergraduates are most noteworthy. In August 1900, Mr. Hunt called together the farmers of Mecklenburg and surrounding counties for the purpose of holding a farmer's conference. A permanent organization was affected, of which he was made president. The influence of these annual conferences is far-reaching and will go-doubt result in great good to the farming class of Western North Carolina. He was, for several years, the president of the Queen City Real Estate Company of Charlotte, North Carolina, an organization designed to help those wishing to obtain homes. He was forced to relinquish this work because of other duties. Mr. Hunt is a strong and courageous young man. He is firm in his convictions and believes the royal road to success is attained through the faithful performance of each day's duties. His sympathies are near to the interests of the working classes. As a college-bred man, he urges his people to become skilled artisans and to build up reliable business enterprises and thus become independent. His kindness of heart and plain honest dealing with his fellow man, along with his intellectual attainment, have won for him a host of friends and made him a popular man with all the people. While attending Atlanta University, Mr. Hunt met the girl, Miss Florence S. Johnson of Raleigh, North Carolina, who, in the year 1893, became his wife and to whom much of whatever success he has attained is attributable. To them there have been three bright and beautiful children born, two girls and a boy. In a chapter on this subject, it may not be out of place to give some little attention to the early history of the Negro as a farmer in America. Without stopping to discuss the motives of the sea captain who brought over the first load of Negroes to America, or why the northern colonists discontinued at a comparatively early date, the use of slave labor, let us note a few things about the Negro in the South. The fact that they could easily endure the summer sun of the cotton belt, that they learned quickly the simple methods of farming used in the cultivation of cotton, rice, sugarcane, and tobacco, that they required but little in the way of food, clothing, housing, and medical attention, and the further fact that they possessed a particularly happy and lighthearted disposition, all tended to make them especially valuable to the southern planters. It seems that slave laborers looked upon at a comparatively early date as being not only desirable but absolutely necessary to the growth and development of the southern colonies. For several years after the settlement of Georgia, no slaves were allowed to be used in that colony. But finding that the colony seemed to be doomed to failure, the trustees permitted the introduction of slaves and the colony began immediately to prosper. The following lines attributed to George Whitefield, the famous minister, in referring to his plantations in Georgia and South Carolina, give a fair idea of the feelings of the southern colonists on the subject of slave labor at that time. He speaks thus about this Georgia plantation, quote, Upward of 5,000 pounds have been expended in the undertaking, and yet very little proficiency made in the cultivation of my tract of land, and that entirely owing to the necessity I lay under of making use of white hands. Had a Negro been allowed, I should now have had a sufficiency to support a great many orphans without expending above half some, which has been laid out, unquote. How different are his expressions concerning his South Carolina plantation where slavery existed? Blessed be God, this plantation has succeeded, and though at present I have only eight working hands, yet in all probability there will be more raised in one year, and without a quarter of the expense than had been produced at Bethesda for several years past. This confirms me in the opinion I have entertained for a long time that Georgia never can or will be a flourishing province without Negroes are allowed, unquote. With the invention of the cotton gin, slave labor became still more valuable. The South more prosperous, and the planters verily believed that cotton was king and South Carolina the hub of the universe. But while it is true that the Negro became an indispensable factor in the material prosperity of the South by his work on the plantations, yet he did not at that time occupy a position that could be dignified with the name of farmer. During the days of slavery, the Negro occupied a position more closely to tend to that of a farm animal than that of a farmer. Of course, there were exceptions, but we are speaking now of the masses. The Negro, having been looked upon by his master in school to look upon himself and his fellow bond men as possessing none of the intelligence and virtues essential to success in life, there is little wonder that a comparatively small number of freed men took advantage of the opportunities offered immediately after the close of the Civil War to become landowners. Indeed, when we take into account the fact that there was a sort of caste feeling among the slaves with the field hands as the mud seal and all glad of any opportunity offered to rise above the despised position, the great wonder is that so many were willing to continue an occupation considered so degrading. The fact is that it was to a very great extent simply a matter of accepting cheerfully the inevitable that held so many of the freed men to the farms and to farm life. Among the positive forces that operated in taking the Negro from the farm, there was perhaps none stronger than the desire to have his children educated, the opportunity for which being very poor in the country districts, many of the very best and most thrifty among them left the farm for the towns and cities. But whether on the farm or in the city, only a few years of freedom and its attendant responsibilities were necessary to enable the more intelligent ones of the ex slaves to see the importance of not only knowing something, but owning something as well, if they were to entertain any hopes or aspirations above those of the field hand. And it was from this class of Negro farm hands that the real Negro farmer came into existence. While there were many who showed decided intelligence, sound judgment and shrewd business sense by the manner in which they managed their affairs, still the great masses had arisen, if at all, only from the position of the master's farm animal in slavery to that of his less cared for farm hand in freedom. The condition just described represents the state of affairs during the first two years after the war, as indeed it does present conditions except that the number of those who may be called farmers is constantly increasing and the number of mere farm hands is growing proportionately smaller. We should keep constantly in mind the distinction between the man who tells his own land and the one who works the land of another. The former is the farmer, the latter, the farm hand. The distinction just noticed would seem to be entirely justifiable as ownership of the land is the first requisite for the proper interest in and love for the work being done to entitle a man to the name of farmer. In order to properly appreciate the opportunities and advantages of farm life to himself and his children, there must be that love for the farm itself, its rocks, its woods, its hills, its shady rills and its meadows that can come in no other way than through the proud sense of ownership. There must be the feeling of kinship for the very soil itself. The birds, the bees, the flowers must all be held dear to the heart of him who would know nature's choices, secrets and reap rich harvests from her beautiful storehouse. In no field are the prospects brighter for the Negro than in that of agriculture. There are thousands of acres of land in the south and southwest that may be purchased upon terms so favorable that the land being purchased may, by proper management, be made to yield sufficient income to meet the payments. In the combination of a mild climate, cheap land with easy payments, ready markets and previous training of the Negro, God seems to be offering special inducements for him to come out from the condition of a landless tenant that may grow into serfdom worse than slavery to that of worthy independent and self-respecting land owners. There is no field in which he meets so little of the unreasoning and unreasonable prejudice as in farming. The products of the farm are the necessities of life and people do not stop to question too closely as to whence they come or by whom produced. Owing to the growth of manufacturing in the south, especially of cotton goods and a consequent removal of large numbers of the poor whites into the cities and towns just now would seem to be the high tide of the Negro's opportunities to become an independent class of citizens and we should be careful to seize it at its flood or all the rest of our life's voyage may be bound in shallows and miseries more distressing than those already passed. The opportunity for buying land becoming independent and even wealthy are indeed grand, but the fact must ever be kept in mind that the present favorable conditions will not obtain indefinitely. Let the tide of European integration once turned southward and competition immediately becomes sharper and the further progress of the Negro decidedly more difficult. If the Negro would put himself in position to successfully withstand this competition that will inevitably come, let him begin now by purchasing his stronghold, the farm, and fortify himself, or he may awake when it is too late to find himself without a home or the means with which to secure it. Let us note just here one of the most solemn obligations resting upon those who stand as leaders of the Negro's, namely the duty of impressing upon the masses the absolute necessity for purchasing land and the great need, yes, the absolute necessity of doing so now. It is not the purpose of the writer to create the impression that the leaders of our people are neglecting their duty or that the masses are letting their opportunities for material betterment pass unimproved, but rather to arouse both leaders and followers to the necessity for greater activity in their work. Indeed, when all things favorable and unfavorable are taken into account, there is much to be thankful for and hopeful over in the present condition of the Negro farmers. In almost every community in the South, there are to be found Negro farmers who are not only managing a decent living, but buying land and improving it, building comfortable dwellings, improving the grades of their farm animals, giving liberal support to their schools and churches, and bringing up their children in a manner that is altogether creditable and calculated to make of them good citizens. It is encouraging to note the increased interest on the part of many young men on the subject of farming, as evidenced by the increasing popularity of the agricultural and mechanical colleges and the lively interest taken by them in the farmers conferences held in various parts of the South. The number of Negro farmers who read agricultural journals and make intelligent use of the bulletins issued by the Agricultural Department of the various states and the United States is constantly increasing. Lest there be some doubt as to the truthfulness of the favorable conditions just mentioned, let the figures speak. Since last year, the Negroes of the single state of Georgia have purchased 66,000 acres of land and added $380,000 through the value of farm lands. Professor W. E. B. de Bois and the Independent, November 21, 1901. Indeed, it seems that if in one particular line of work more than any other, the Negro has won for himself a place in the history of this country's progress that work has been upon the farm. If one section of the country has profit more than another by his toil, that section is the South, whose forests he has felled, whose roads he has built, whose soil he has tilled, whose wealth he has created, and whose prosperity he has made possible. Then let us not be discouraged, but turn our faces to the sunlight of heaven and put forth our very best endeavors, confidently expecting to reap the full rewards for our neighbors and attain the full measure of manhood as a race in this, the land of the free and the home of the grave. This is the end of topic 26, second paper. Topic 27 of 20th Century Negro Literature. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. 20th Century Negro Literature. Topic 27 by H.E. Baker. The Negro as an inventor. Henry E. Baker is one of the most useful men in Washington. His life stands out in strong contrast to that of so many of our educated colored men who have come to Washington, obtained positions in the government service, and shriveled up so far as public usefulness is concerned. He is an active member of the Berean Baptist Church, being its treasurer, an office he has held for several years. For 10 years he has been secretary, the executive officer of the industrial building, and savings company, and a director of the Capital Savings Bank. His most notable characteristic is his public spirit, having been connected with almost every well directed movement in this city for the last 15 years, looking to the betterment of the condition of his race, especially in the matter of opening up business opportunities for them. The estimation in which he is held by those who know him best is attested by the fact that he is almost invariably called to the position of treasurer in every organization of which he is a member. Born just before the war in Columbus, Mississippi, he attended the public school of his home and also the Columbus Union Academy. He passed the entrance examination at Annapolis and was admitted into the Naval Academy as cadet midshipman in 1875 where he remained nearly two years. In 1877 he was appointed copyist in the United States Patent Office where he is at present employed and where he was promoted through the several intervening grades to the position of second assistant examiner at $1,600 per annum. He attended the Ben Hyde Benton School of Technology in this city from 1877 to 1879, entered the law department of Howard University in 1879 graduating in 1881 at the head of his class and from the postgraduate course in 1883. He was married in May 1893 at Lexington, Kentucky to Ms. Violetta K. Clark of Detroit, Michigan who graces a cozy home at 2348 6th Street, Northwest. It is quite within the mark to say that no class of men of modern times has made so distinct a contribution to what is properly called modern civilization as have the inventors of the world. And it is equally within bounds to say that the American inventor has led all the rest in the practical utility as well as in the scientific perfection of his inventive skill. Within the century just past the inventors of America have done more than was done in all the preceding centuries to multiply the comforts and minimize the burdens of domestic life. What Washington and Grant Sherman and Sheridan did for the glory of America was done and more by Whitney Morris Thompson, Howe, Erickson, Colt, Bell, Corliss, Edison, McCormick and a host of other Americans native and naturalized to promote the progress of American inventive skill and thus firmly to establish this country in the front rank of the enlightened nations of the world. The true measure of a nation's worth in the great family of nations is proportionate to that nation's contribution to the welfare and happiness of the whole. And similarly, an individual is measured by the contribution he makes to the well being of the community in which he lives. It inventions therefore have played the important part here assigned to them in the gradual development of our complex national life. It becomes important to know what contribution the American Negro has made to the inventive skill of this country. Unfortunately, for the seeker after this particular information, the public records of the United States government offer practically no assistance since the public records distinguish only as to nations and not as to races. The Englishman and the American may instantly find out how each stands in the list of patentees, but the Irishman and the Negro are kept in the dark, especially the latter. The official records of the United States patent office, with a single exception, give no hint whatever that of the thousands of mechanical inventions for which patents are granted annually by the government any patent has ever been granted to a Negro. The single exception was the name of Henry Blair of Maryland, to whom the public records refer as a colored man stating that he was granted a patent for a corn harvester in 1834 and another patent for a similar invention in 1836. It is altogether safe to assume that this Henry Blair was a free person of color, as the language of those days would have phrased it, for the government seemed committed to the theory that a slave could not take out a patent for his invention. And this dictum gave rise to some rather embarrassing situations on more occasions than one. For instance in 1857, a Negro slave living with his master in the state of Mississippi perfected a valuable invention which his master sought to have protected by a patent. Now in law a patent is a contract between the government and the inventor or his assignees. The slave although the inventor could not under the law be a party to a contract and therefore could not secure the patent himself. His master applied for the patent but was refused on the ground that inasmuch as he was not the inventor and could not be the assignee of a slave he could not properly make the required oath. The master was not satisfied with this interpretation of the law by the commissioner patents and it once appealed from the latter's decision to the secretary of the interior who in 1858 referred the case to the attorney general of the United States. This latter official who was Honorable Jeremiah S. Black of Pennsylvania confirmed the decision of the commissioner of patent and neither master nor slave was ever able to get a patent for the slaves invention. This case reported on page 171 of volume 9 of opinions of attorneys general United States. Another instance of a similar character occurred a few years later in 1862 when a slave belonging to Jefferson Davis president of the Confederacy invented a propeller for vessels. He constructed an excellent model of his invention displaying remarkable mechanical skill in wooden metal working. He was not able to get his invention patented but the merits of his invention were commented upon approvingly by a number of influential Southern newspapers and his propeller was finally put in use by the Confederate Navy. With the barrier of slavery cast aside a new opportunity was open to the Negro inventor and the purpose of this article is to show what use he has made of that opportunity. It must still be borne in mind that the records of the United States patent office do not show whether a patent T is a Negro or a Caucasian and that to ascertain what the Negro has accomplished in the field of invention other sources of information had to be utilized. And finally that the very omission from the public records of all data calculated to identify a given invention with the Negro race completely destroys the possibility of arriving at any definite conclusion as to the exact number and character of Negro inventions. Judging from what has been duly authenticated as Negro inventions patented by the United States. It is entirely reasonable to assume that many hundreds of valuable inventions have been patented by Negro inventors for which the race will never receive due credit. This is the more unfortunate since the race now perhaps more than ever before needs the help of every fact in its favor to offset as far as possible the many discreditable things that the daily papers are all too eager to publish against it. It appears that no systematic effort was ever made by the government to collect information as to the number of inventions by Negroes until January 1900 when the then commissioner of patents Hon. Charles H. Duell undertook the task. Previous to that time the United States patent office had received numerous requests from all parts of the country for information on that point. And the uniform reply was that the official records of the patent office did not show whether an inventor was colored or white and that the office had no way of obtaining such information. Notwithstanding this fact however an employee of the patent office had undertaken to collect a list of such patents and this list was used in selecting a small exhibit of Negro inventions. First for the Cotton Centennial at New Orleans in 1884 again for the World's Fair at Chicago in 1893 and lastly for the Southern Exposition at Atlanta in 1895 but it was reserved for the United States Commission to the Paris Exposition of 1900 to make the first definite effort to obtain this information and at its request the following letter by the commissioner of patents was addressed to hundreds of patent lawyers throughout the country to large manufacturing establishments to the various newspapers edited by colored men and to prominent men of the race. Department of the Interior United States patent office Washington DC January 26 1900 Dear Sir this office is endeavoring to obtain information concerning patents issued to colored inventors in accordance with a request from the United States Commission to the Paris Exposition of 1900 to be used in preparing the Negro exhibit. To aid in this work you are requested to send to this office in the enclosed envelope which will not require a postage stamp the names of any colored inventors you can furnish together with the date of grant title of invention and patent number so that a list without errors can be prepared. You will confer a special favor by aiding in the preparation of this list by filling in the blank form below and sending in any replies as promptly as possible. Should you be unable to furnish any data will you kindly inform us of that fact very respectfully CH2L commissioner of patents name number date invention. The replies to this letter showed that the correspondence personally knew of and could identify by name date and number more than 400 patents granted by the United States to colored inventors. The letters also showed that nearly as many more colored inventors had completed their inventions and had applied to patent lawyers throughout the country for assistance in obtaining patents for their inventions that finally abandoned the effort through lack of means to prosecute their applications. The list of the patented inventions as furnished mainly by the letters above named is printed below and shows that beginning first with agricultural implements and culinary utensils which circumscribed the character of his earlier employment. The Negro inventor gradually widened the field of his invented effort until he had well now covered the whole range of patentable subjects. A study of the list will disclose the fact that the Negro inventor has very often like his white brother caught the spirit of invention and not being contented with a single success has frequently been led to exert his energies along many different lines of inventions. Elijah McCoy of Detroit, Michigan heads the list with 28 patents relating particularly to lubricating appliances for engines both stationary and locomotive but covering also a large variety of other subjects. The next is Granville Tea Woods of Cincinnati whose inventions are confined almost exclusively to electricity and cover a very wide range of devices for the utilitarian application of this wonderful force. Mr. W. B. Purvis of Philadelphia comes next with 16 patents relating especially to paperback machinery but including a few other subjects as well. Mr. F. J. Ferrell of New York has 10 patents on valves adapted for a variety of uses. Then comes ex-congressman George W. Murray of South Carolina with eight patents on agricultural implements. Mr. Henry Kramer has seven patents on steam traps and more than a dozen among the number have patented as many as five different inventions. Time and space will not admit of any extended notice of many individual patentees, the mention should be made of a few of them. Granville Tea Woods is called the Black Edison because of his persistent and successful investigations into the mystery of electricity. Among his inventions may be found valuable improvements and telegraphy, important telephone instruments, a system for telegraphing from moving trains, an electric railway, a phonograph and an automatic cut off for an electric circuit. One of his telephone inventions was sold to the American Belt telephone company who is said to have paid Mr. Woods handsomely for his patent. Mr. Ferrell's inventions of valves laid the foundation for a large and highly successful manufacturing and commercial enterprise which he now conducts in the city of New York. Mr. Elijah McCoy succeeded in placing his lubricators on many of the steam car and steamboat engines in the Northwest and also on some of the ocean steamers and from these he receives a valuable annual royalty. Mr. Matt Seliger of Massachusetts is credited with being the pioneer in the art of attaching souls to shoes by machinery and Mr. Joseph Leah Boston is said to have placed his kneading machine in many of the first class bakeries and hotels in Boston and New York from which he receives a substantial royalty. So far as is known to the writer Ms. Miriam E. Benjamin of Massachusetts is the only colored woman who has received a patent for an invention and the principle of her invention that of a gong signal has just been adopted in the United States House of Representatives in signaling for the pages to attend upon members who want them for errands. Formerly the pages were signaled by members clapping their hands and the noise incident to this method was frequently a great disturbance of the house proceedings. The new system just adopted involves merely the pressing of a button on the members chair and this brings a small gong while displaying a signal on the back of the chair. Another invention by a young colored man which has attracted considerable attention is the rapid fire gun by Mr. Eugene Berkins of Chicago. This gun has been examined by officers of the war and Navy departments and has been pronounced a valuable contribution to the scientific equipment for military and naval warfare. The following description of Mr. Berkins' gun appeared in Howard's American magazine some months ago. A brief description of the gun is not exactly out of place although the scientific American and other technical journals have long since given it to the world. It is an improvement upon all that has yet been done in the way of ordinance and the principles involved in its construction can be applied to any size of gun from a one inch barker to a 36 inch thunderer. The model as it now stands weighs 475 pounds, measures four inches at breach and is constructed of the finest of gun brass at a cost of $3,500. There is a magazine at the breach in which a large number of heavy shells can be held in reserve and in the action of the gun these slip down to their places and are fired at the rate of 14 a minute and improvement on the maximum gun of four shots. The gun is elevated upon a revolving turret with electrical connections enabling the gunner to direct the action of the machine with a touch of his finger. Firing, reloading and ejection of shells are all affected by electricity and a child could conduct the work of manning the gun as easily as anyone. These inventions show how completely in error are those who constantly assert that the Negro has made no lasting contribution to the civilization of the age. And they prove conclusively that under favorable environment he is capable of performing his whole duty in the work of mankind, whether it be tilling the earth with his hoe or advancing the world by his thought. List of colored inventors in the United States as furnished for the Paris Exposition 1900. Abrams WB Hame Attachment, April 14, 1891. Allen C. W. Self-Levelling Table, November 1, 1898. Allen J.B. Close Line Support, December 10, 1895. Ashbourne A.P. Process for Preparing Coconut for Domestic Use, June 1, 1875. Ashbourne A.P. Biscuit Cutter, November 30, 1875. Ashbourne A.P. Refining Coconut Oil, July 27, 1880. Ashbourne A.P. Process of Treating Coconut, August 21, 1877. Blair H. Corn Planter, October 14, 1834. Bailey L.C. Combined Trust and Bandage, September 25, 1883. Blair Henry Cotton Planter, August 31, 1836. Bailey L.C. Folding Bed, July 18, 1899. Bales William Ladder Scaffold Support, August 5, 1879. Bayloth C.O. Shampoo Headrest, October 11, 1898. Balow W.J. Combined Hat Rack and Table, March 29, 1898. Barnes G.A.E. Designed for Sign, August 19, 1898. Beard A.J. Rotary Engine, July 5, 1892. Beard A.J. Carr Coupler, November 23, 1897. Beckett G.E. Letter Box, October 4, 1892. Bell L. Locomotive Smoke Stack, May 23, 1871. Bell L. Doe Neater, December 10, 1872. Benjamin L.W. Broome, Moisteners and Britals, May 16, 1893. Benjamin Miss M.E. Gong and Signal Chairs for Hotels, July 17, 1888. Blackburn A.B. Railway Signal, January 10, 1888. Blackburn A.B. Spring Seat for Chairs, April 3, 1888. Blackburn A.B. Cash Carrier, October 23, 1888. Blue L. Handcorn Shelling Device, May 20, 1884. Binga M.W. Street Spring Clean Apparatus, Design, July 22, 1879. Booker L.F. Rubber Scraping Knife, March 28, 1899. Boone Sarah Ironing Board, April 26, 1892. Bowman H.A. Making Flags, February 23, 1892. Brooks C.B. Punch, October 31, 1893. Brooks C.B. Street Sweepers, March 17, 1896. Brooks C.B. Street Sweepers, May 12, 1896. Brooks, Halsted & Page, Street Sweepers, April 21, 1896. Brown, Henry, Receptical for Storing and Preserving Papers, November 2, 1886. Brown, L.F., Bridal Bit, October 25, 1892. Brown, O.E., Horseshoe, August 23, 1892. Brown and Latimer, Water Closets for Railway Cars, February 10, 1874. Burr, J.A., Lawnmower, May 9, 1899. Burr, W.F., Switching Device for Railways, October 31, 1899. Burrwell, W., Boot or Shoe, November 28, 1899. Butler, R.A., Train Alarm, June 15, 1897. Butts, J.W., Luggage Carrier, October 10, 1899. Burr, T.J., Improvement and Holders for Reigns for Horses, February 6, 1872. Burr, T.J., Apparatus for Detaching Horses from Carriages, March 19, 1872. Burr, T.J., Improvement and Neck Yokes for Wagons, April 30, 1872. Burr, T.J., Improvement and Car Couplings, December 1, 1874. Burkins, Eugene, Rapid Fire Gun, Campbell, W.S., Self-Setting Animal Trap, August 30, 1881. Cargill, B.F., Invalid Cott, July 25, 1899. Carrington, T.A., Range, July 25, 1876. Carter, W.C., Umbrella Stand, August 4, 1885. Certain, J.M., Parcel Carrier for Bicycles, December 26, 1899. Jerry, M.A., Philosophy, May 8, 1888. Church, T.S., Carpet Beading Machine, July 29, 1884. Jerry, M.A., Street Car Fender, January 1, 1895. Claire, O.B., Tressel, October 9, 1888. Coats, R., Overboot for Horses, April 19, 1892. Cook, G., Automatic Fishing Device, May 30, 1899. Coolidge, J.S., Harness Attachment, November 13, 1888. Cooper, A.R., Shoemakers Jack, August 22, 1899. Cooper, J., Shutter and Fastening, May 1, 1883. Cooper, J., Elevator Device, April 2, 1895. Cooper, J., Elevator Device, September 21, 1897. Cornwell, P.W., Draft Regulator, October 2, 1888. Cornwell, P.W., Draft Regulator, February 7, 1893. Crawley, A.L., Ice Cream Mold, February 2, 1897. Creamer, H., Steam Feed Water Trap, March 17, 1885. Creamer, H., Steam Traps, March 8, 1887. Creamer, H., Steam Traps, January 17, 1888. Creamer, H., Steam Trap, Feeder, December 11, 1888. Creamer, H., Steam Trap, May 28, 1889. Creamer, H., Steam Trap, August 18, 1891. Creamer, H., Steam Trap, November 21, 1893. Cosgrove, W.F., Automatic Stop Plug for Gas Oil Pikes, March 17, 1885. Darkins, J.T., Ventilation, February 19, 1895. Davis, I.D., Tonic, November 2, 1886. Davis, W.D., Writing, Saddles, October 6, 1896. Davis, W.R., Jr., Library Table, September 24, 1878. Deeds, W.A., Shoe, April 30, 1867. Dordacus, C.J., Device for Applying Coloring Liquids to Sides of Souls or Heels of Shoes, March 19, 1895. Dickens, J.H., Pianola, Detroit, Michigan, 1899. Dordacus, C.J., Machine for Embossing Photo, April 16, 1895. Dordacus, C.J., Photographic, Print Wash, April 23, 1895. Dordacus, C.J., Hose, Leek, Stop, July 18, 1899. Downing, P.B., Electric, Switch for Railroad, June 17, 1890. Downing, P.B., Letter Box, October 27, 1891. Downing, P.B., Street Letter Box, October 27, 1891. Dunnington, J.H., Horse Detachers, March 18, 1897. Door C.O., Door Holding Device, December 10, 1878. Edmunds, T.H., Separating Screens, July 20, 1897. Elkins, T., Dining, Ironing Table and Quilting Frame. Combined. February 22, 1870. Elkins, T., Chamber Commode, January 9, 1872. Elkins, T., Refrigerating Apparatus, November 4, 1879. Evans, J.H., Convertible Satis, October 5, 1897. Faulkner, H. Benelated Shoe, April 20, 1890. Ferrell, F.J., Steam Trap, February 11, 1890. Ferrell, F.J., Apparatus for Melting Snow, May 27, 1890. Ferrell, F.J., Valve, May 27, 1890. Ferrell, F.J., Valve, April 14, 1891. Ferrell, F.J., Valve, November 10, 1891. Ferrell, F.J., Valve, January 26, 1892. Ferrell, F.J., Valve, February 2, 1892. Ferrell, F.J., Valve, February 9, 1892. Ferrell, F.J., Valve, January 17, 1893. Ferrell, F.J., Valve, July 18, 1893. Fisher, D.A., Joining His Clamp, April 20, 1875. Fisher, D.A., Furniture, Caster, March 14, 1876. Fleming, R.F., Jr., Guitar, March 3, 1886. Good, Sara E., Folding, Cabinet Bed, July 14, 1885. Grant, G.F., Golf T., December 12, 1899. Grant, W.S., Curtin Rods Support, August 28, 1894. Gregory J., Motor, April 26, 1887. Gray, R.H., Sister-in-Cleaners, April 9, 1895. Grenin, H., Razor-Stropping Device, February 18, 1896. Griffin, F.W., Pool Table Attachment, June 13, 1899. Gun, S.W., Boot or Shoe, January 16, 1900. Haynes, J.H., Portable Basin, September 28, 1897. Hammons, J.F., Apparatus for Holding Yarn Schemes, December 15, 1896. Harding, F.H., Extension, Banquet Table, November 22, 1898. Hawkins, J., Gridiron, March 26, 1845. Hawkins, R., Harness Attachment, October 4, 1887. Heaton, M., Foot Power Hammer, October 5, 1886. Hearness, R., Ceiling Attachment for Bottles, February 15, 1898. Hearness, R., Detachable Car Vendor, July 4, 1899. Hillier, A.F., Water Evaporator Attachment for Hot Air Registers, August 26, 1890. Hillier, A.F., Registers, October 14, 1890. Holmes, E.H., Gage, November 12, 1895. Hunter, J.H., Portable Weighing Scales, November 3, 1896. Hyde, R.N., Composition for Cleaning and Preserving Carpets, November 6, 1888. Jackson, B.F., Heating Apparatus, March 1, 1898. Jackson, B.F., Matrix-Drying Apparatus, May 10, 1898. Jackson, B.F., Gasperner, April 4, 1899. Jackson, H.A., Kitchen Table, October 6, 1896. Jackson, W.H., Railway Switch, March 9, 1897. Jackson, W.H., Railway Switch, March 16, 1897. Jackson, W.H., Automatic Locking Switch, August 23, 1898. Johnson, D., Rotary Dining Table, January 15, 1888. Johnson, D., Lawn Mower Attachment, September 10, 1889. Johnson, D., Grass Receivers for Lawn Mowers, June 10, 1890. Johnson, I.R., Bicycle Frame, October 10, 1899. Johnson, P., Swinging Chairs, November 15, 1881. Johnson, P., Eye Protector, November 2, 1880. Johnson, W., Philosophy, June 20, 1899. Johnson, W., Paint Vehicle, December 4, 1888. Johnson, W., H., Overcoming Dead Centers, February 4, 1896. Johnson, W., H., Overcoming Dead Centers, October 11, 1898. Johnson, W., Egg Beater, February 5, 1884. Jones and Lawn Caps for Bottles, September 13, 1898. Joyce, J.A., Orbaca, April 26, 1898. Latimer, L.H., Manufacturing Carbons, June 17, 1882. Latimer, L.H., Apparatus for Cooling and Disinfecting, January 12, 1886. Latimer, L.H., Locking Racks for Hats, Coats and Umbrellas, March 24, 1896. Lavalette, W.A., Printing Press, September 17, 1878. Lee, H., Animal Trap, February 12, 1867. Lee, J., Needing Machine, August 7, 1894. Lee, J., Bread Crumbing Machine, June 4, 1895. Leslie, F.W., Envelope Seal, September 21, 1897. Lewis, A.L., Window Cleaner, September 27, 1892. Lewis, E.R., Spring Gun, May 3, 1887. Lyndon, H., Piano Truck, September 8, 1891. Little E., Bridal Bit, March 7, 1882. Loudon, F.J., Sash, Fassner, December 12, 1892. Loudon, F.J., Key, Fassner, January 9, 1894. Love, J.L., Plasterer's Hawk, July 9, 1895. Love, J.L., Pencil Sharpener, November 23, 1897. Marshall, W., Grain Binder, May 11, 1886. Marshall, T.J., Fire Extinguisher, May 26, 1872. Martin, W.A., Lock, July 23, 1889. Martin, W.A., Lock, December 30, 1890. Matt, Seligar, J.E., Mechanism for Distributing Tax, November 26, 1899. Matt, Seligar, J.E., Nailing Machine, February 25, 1896. Matt, Seligar, J.E., Tax Separating Mechanism, March 25, 1890. Matt, Seligar, J.E., Lasting Machine, September 22, 1891. McCoy, E., Lubricator for Steam Engines, July 2, 1872. McCoy, E., Lubricator for Steam Engines, August 6, 1872. McCoy, E., Lubricator, May 27, 1873. McCoy, E., Steam Lubricator, January 20, 1874. McCoy, E., Arming Table, May 12, 1874. McCoy, E., Steam Cylinder Lubricator, February 1, 1876. McCoy, E., Steam Cylinder Lubricator, July 4, 1876. McCoy, E., Lubricator, March 28, 1882. McCoy, E., Lubricator, July 18, 1882. McCoy, E., Lubricator, January 9, 1883. McCoy, E., Lawn Sprinkler Design, September 26, 1899. McCoy, E., Steam Dome, June 16, 1885. McCoy, E., Lubricator, June 16, 1885. McCoy, E., Lubricator, February 8, 1887. McCoy, E., Lubricator, Attachment, April 19, 1887. McCoy, E., Lubricator for Safety Valves, May 24, 1887. McCoy, E., Lubricator, May 29, 1888. McCoy, E., Lubricator, May 29, 1888. McCoy and Hodges Lubricator, December 24, 1889. McCoy, E., Dope Cup, September 29, 1891. McCoy, E., Lubricator, December 29, 1891. McCoy, E., Lubricator, March 1, 1892. McCoy, E., Lubricator, April 5, 1892. McCoy, E., Lubricator, June 6, 1893. McCoy, E., Lubricator, September 13, 1898. McCoy, E., Lubricator, October 4, 1898. McCoy, E., Lubricator, November 15, 1898. McCoy, E., Lubricator, June 27, 1899. McCree D. Portable Firescape November 11, 1890. Mendenhall A. Holder for Driving Rains November 28, 1899. Miles A. Elevator October 11, 1887. Mitchell C. L. Foe, Natarizen January 1, 1884. Mitchell J. M. Cheek, Rowe, Corn Planter January 16, 1900. Moody W. Game Board Design May 11, 1897. Moorhead K. Reel Carrier October 6, 1896. Murray G. W. Combined Furrow Opener and Stalk Knocker April 10, 1894. Murray G. W. Cultivator and Marker April 10, 1894. Murray G. W. Planter June 5, 1894. Murray G. W. Cotton Chopper June 5, 1894. Murray G. W. Fertilizer Distributor June 5, 1894. Murray G. W. Planter June 5, 1894. Murray G. W. Combined Cotton Seed Planter and Fertilizer Distributor June 5, 1894. Murray G. W. Reaper June 5, 1894. Murray W. Attachment for Bicycles January 27, 1891. Nance L. Game Apparatus December 1, 1891. Nash H. H. Life Preserving Stool October 5, 1875. Newman Ms. L. D. Brush November 15, 1898. Newsom S. Oil Heater or Cooker May 22, 1894. Nichols and Latimer Electric Lamp September 13, 1881. Nickerson W. J. Mandolin and Guitar Attachment for Pianos June 27, 1899. O'Connor and Turner Alarm for Boilers August 25, 1896. O'Connor and Turner Steam Gauge August 25, 1896. O'Connor and Turner Alarm for Coasts Containing Vessels February 8, 1898. Outlaw J. W. Horses Shoes November 15, 1898. Perryman F. R. Caterers Tray Table February 2, 1892. Peterson H. Attachment for Lawn Mowers April 30, 1889. Phelps W. H. Apparatus for Washing Vehicles March 23, 1897. Pickering J. F. Airship February 29, 1900. Pickett H. Scaffold June 30, 1874. Penn T. B. Fowler August 17, 1880. Polk A. J. Bicycle Support April 14, 1896. Pugsley A. Blind Stop July 29, 1890. Purdy N. Saad Warr Voting Chair June 11, 1889. Purdy W. Device for Sharpening Edge Tools October 27, 1896. Purdy W. Device for Sharpening Edge Tools August 16, 1898. Purdy W. Device for Sharpening Edge Tools August 1, 1899. Purdy and Peter's Design for Spoons April 23, 1895. Purvis W. B. Bagfastner April 25, 1882. Purvis W. B. Hand Stamp February 27, 1883. Purvis W. B. Paperback Machine February 12, 1884. Purvis W. B. Fountain Pen January 7, 1890. Purvis W. B. Paperback Machine January 28, 1890. Purvis W. B. Paperback Machine June 24, 1890. Purvis W. B. Paperback Machine August 19, 1890. Purvis W. B. Paperback Machine September 2, 1890. Purvis W. B. Paperback Machine September 22, 1891. Purvis W. B. Electric Railway May 1, 1894. Purvis W. B. Paperback Machine May 8, 1894. Purvis W. B. Paperback Machine May 8, 1894. Purvis W. B. Paperback Machine December 11, 1894. Purvis W. B. Magnetic Car Balancing Device May 21, 1895. Purvis W. B. Paperback Machine March 9, 1897. Purvis W. B. Electric Railway Switch August 17, 1897. Queen W. Gartford Companion Ways and Hatches August 18, 1891. Ray E. P. Chair Supporting Device February 21, 1899. Ray L. P. Dustpan August 3, 1897. Reed J. W. Doe, Neeter and Rower September 23, 1884. Rennals R. R. Non-Refillable Bottle May 2, 1899. Reynolds H. H. Window Ventilator for R. R. Cars April 3, 1883. Reynolds H. H. Safety Gate for Bridges October 7, 1890. Roads J. B. Water Closets December 1989. Richardson A. C. Hayme-Thassner March 14, 1882. Richardson A. C. Charn February 17, 1891. Richardson A. C. Caskett Lowering Device November 13, 1894. Richardson A. C. Insect Destroyer February 28, 1899. Richardson A. C. Bottle December 12, 1899. Richardson W. H. Cotton Chopper June 1, 1886. Richardson W. H. Child's Carriage June 18, 1889. Richardson W. H. Child's Carriage June 18, 1889. Richie C. B. Car Coupling June 15, 1897. Richie C. B. Railroad Switch August 3, 1897. Richie C. B. Railroad Switch October 26, 1897. Richie C. B. Powerscape Bracket December 28, 1897. Richie C. B. Combined Hammock & Stretcher December 13, 1898. Rickman A. L. Overshoe February 8, 1898. Rick's J. Horseshoe March 30, 1886. Rich J. Overshoe for Horses June 6, 1899. Robinson E. R. Electric Railway Trolley September 19, 1893. Robinson E. R. Casting Composite November 23, 1897. Robinson J. H. Lifesaving Guards for Locomotives March 14, 1899. Robinson J. H. Lifesaving Guards for Street Cards April 25, 1899. Robinson J. Dinner Pale February 1, 1887. Romain A. Passenger Register April 23, 1889. Roster D. N. Feather Curler March 10, 1896. Ross A. L. Runner for Stops August 4, 1896. Ross A. L. Bagged Closure June 7, 1898. Ross J. Bailing Press September 5, 1899. Ross A. L. Trousers Support November 28, 1899. Ruffin S. Vessels for Liquids and Manor Sealing November 20, 1899. Russell L. A. Guard Attachment for Beds August 13, 1895. Sampson G. T. Sled Propeller February 17, 1885. Sampson G. T. Close Dryer June 7, 1892. Scotron SR Adjustable Window Cornice February 17, 1880. Scotron SR Cornice January 16, 1883. Scotron SR Pole Tip September 21, 1886. Scotron SR Curtin Rod August 30, 1892. Scotron SR Supporting Bracket September 12, 1893. Shorter DW Feedrack May 17, 1887. Shanks SC Sleeping Car Birth Register July 21, 1897. Smith J. W. Improvement and Games April 17, 1900. Smith J. W. Lawn Sprinkler May 4, 1897. Smith J. W. Lawn Sprinkler March 22, 1898. Smith PD Potato Digger January 21, 1891. Smith PD Grainbinder February 23, 1892. Snow and John's Lentiment October 7, 1890. Standard J. Oil Stove October 29, 1889. Standard J. Refrigerator July 14, 1891. Stuart T. W. Mott June 13, 1893. Stuart T. W. Station Indicator June 20, 1893. Stuart and Johnson Metal Bending Machine December 27, 1887. Stuart E. W. Punching Machine May 3, 1887. Stuart E. W. Machine for Forming Vehicle C. Bars March 22, 1887. Spears H. Portable Shield for Infantry December 27, 1870. Sutton EH Cotton Cultivator April 7, 1874. Sweeding J. A. Device for Rolling Cigarettes November 30, 1897. Sweeding J. A. Combined Knife and Scoop June 7, 1898. Shoe Craft Frank Letterbox Detroit, Michigan Taylor B. H. Rotary Engine April 23, 1878. Taylor B. H. Slide Bow July 6, 1897. Thomas S. E. Waystrap October 18, 1883. Thomas S. E. Waystrap for Basins Classes, etc. October 4, 1887. Thomas S. E. Casting July 31, 1888. Thomas S. E. Pipe Connection October 9, 1888. Toliver George Propeller for Vessels April 28, 1891. Tree Gunning and Latimer Globe Supporter for Electric Lamps March 21, 1882. Walker Peter Machine for Cleaning Seed Cotton February 16, 1897. Walker Peter Bate Holder March 8, 1898. Waller J. N. Shoemaker's Cabinet or Bench February 3, 1880. Washington Wade Cornhusky Machine August 14, 1883. Watkins Isaac Scrubbing Frame October 7, 1890. Watts J. R. Brackett from Miner's Lamp March 7, 1893. West E. H. Weather Shield September 5, 1899. West J. W. Wagon October 18, 1870. White D. L. Extension Steps for Cars January 12, 1897. White J. T. Lemon Squeezer December 8, 1896. Williams Carter Cannopy Frame February 2, 1892. Williams J. P. Pillow Sham Holder October 10, 1899. Wynn Frank Direct Acting Steam Engine December 4, 1888. Winters J. R. Fire Escape Ladder May 7, 1878. Winters J. R. Fire Escape Ladder April 8, 1879. Woods G.T. Steam Boiler Furnace June 3, 1884. Woods G.T. Telephone Transmitter December 2, 1884. Woods G.T. Apparatus for Transmission of Messages by Electricity April 7, 1885. Woods G.T. Relay Instrument June 7, 1887. Woods G.T. Polarized Relay July 5, 1887. Woods G.T. Electromechanical Break August 16, 1887. Woods G.T. Telephone System Apparatus October 11, 1887. Woods G.T. Electromagnetic Break Apparatus October 18, 1887. Woods G.T. Railway Telegraphy November 15, 1887. Woods G.T. Induction Telegraph System November 29, 1887. Woods G.T. Overhead Conducting System for Electric Railway May 29, 1888. Woods G.T. Electromotive Railway System June 26, 1888. Woods G.T. Tunnel Construction for Electric Railway July 17, 1888. Woods G.T. Galvanic Battery August 14, 1888. Woods G.T. Railway Telegraphy August 28, 1888. Woods G.T. Automatic Safety Cutout for Electric Circuits January 1, 1889. Woods G.T. Automatic Safety Cutout for Electric Circuit October 14, 1889. Woods G.T. Electric Railway System November 10, 1891. Woods G.T. Electric Railway Supply System October 31, 1893. Woods G.T. Electric Railway Conduit November 21, 1893. Woods G.T. System of Electrical Distribution October 13, 1896. Woods G.T. Amusement Apparatus December 19, 1899. Wormley James Life-Saving Apparatus May 24, 1881. Williams P.B. Electromagnetic Electrical Railway Track Switch April 24, 1900. Williams P.B. Electrically Controlled and Operated Railway Switch January 15, 1901. End of topic 27. Topic 28 of 20th Century Negro Literature. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Shasta Oakland, California. 20th Century Negro Literature. Topic 28 by Professor William S. Scarborough. What is the Omen? William S. Scarborough, now Vice President of Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, Ohio, and Professor of Greek and Latin in the same institution, was born in Macon, Georgia, February 18, 1852. He received his early education in his native city before and during the Civil War. In 1869, he entered Atlanta University, where he remained two years in preparation for Yale University, but instead entered Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, in 1871, and was graduated from the Department of Philosophy and the Arts with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1875. He spent a part of the following year in Oberlin Theological Seminary, in special study of the Semitic languages and Hellenistic Greek. In 1877, Professor S. Scarborough was elected as head of the Classical Department in Wilberforce University. In 1881, he published through A.S. Barnes & Co., New York, a Greek textbook, First Lessons in Greek, the first and only Greek book ever written by a Negro. This book was widely used by both the white and colored schools of the country, especially in the North. Professor Scarborough has also written a treatise entitled The Birds of Aristophanes, A Theory of Interpretation, aside from numerous tracts and pamphlets covering a variety of subjects, classical, archaeological, sociological, and racial. He has written many papers for various societies to which he belongs. In 1891, he was transferred to the chair of Hellenistic Greek Hain Theological Seminary. In 1897, he was again re-elected as professor of Latin and Greek in the university and vice president of the same. He has contributed largely to the press of the country, including the leading magazines. He is one of the editors of the AME Sunday School publications, having filled that position for a number of years. He is a member of a number of associations, American Philological, American Dialect, American Social Science, Archaeological Institute of America, American Spelling Reform, American Folklore, American Modern Language, American Political and Social Science, the Egyptian Exploration Fund Association, and the American Negro Academy, of which he is first vice president. He has several times been one of the orators at the Lincoln League banquet of the State of Ohio at a conference held by the leaders of the race in the city of Columbus, Ohio. He was elected president of the Afro-American State League, designed to further the interests of the Negro throughout the country. Professor Scarborough has traveled extensively in Europe. He was a delegate to the Ecumenical Methodist Conference held in London in 1901, representing the African Methodist Episcopal Church. We take that following from the New York age of July 18th. While in Boston, Professor W. S. Scarborough of Wilberforce University was delightfully entertained by the colored graduates of Harvard University and Amherst College at a reception given in his honor at the home of Mr. G. W. Ford's, a graduate of Amherst. Speeches were made by Messrs. Ford, Morgan, Trotter, Lewis, Williams, and others your logistic of the life and services of the professor in behalf of his race. The professor replied, thanking them for the honor conferred upon him. Next year, it will be 25 years since Professor Scarborough first became connected with Wilberforce University as its classical professor, and he intends to mark the event by publishing a volume of his philological papers. These papers have all been read before the American Philological Association at its various annual sessions. 25 years ago, Professor Scarborough was first elected to membership in this body at Harvard University. This year, the Association, again, met at this venerable seat of learning, and by way of commemorating the event, Professor Scarborough read a paper on Philicities. It is some of these papers that the professor intends to put into more tangible form for future use, unquote. They all absorb the question now before the American people seems to be the race question. Our magazines and papers generally, dailies and weeklies, as well as monthlies, are deluged, as it were, with articles on the Negro people. The Negro is a citizen, his status, his future, the sort of education best adapted to his needs as a man and a citizen, and kindred subjects. In fact, no phase of the Negro's life fails of discussion at the hands of the most flippant penny aligner as well as the gravest thinker. All have theories of some sort, and they do not hesitate to express them, whether they are visionary or practical. The theories alone could have solved this problem. Long ere this would race fiction have been removed. It would have been a question of the past, but unfortunately for the race, unfortunately for the people at large, many of those who knew least about the subject and who had no remedy for the troubles complained of have had most to say, and they have generally said it in the most reckless way, regardless of the facts. Only now and then do we have a calm view of the situation with reasonable suggestions as to the best course to follow. As we enter upon the 20th century, it will be well for Black and White to get together and understand one another and ascertain as far as possible what is best to do in the light of the facts before us. One thing is certain, the White man does not yet know the Negro. Strange as it may seem, the northern White man does not know him after many years of close observation. Neither does the southern White man for all the years gone by, in which the Negro has lived in his midst. The observations of both in fact only leave the Negro largely in unknown quantity to either. I have claimed here to fore that there is a life that the White man knows nothing of. It is found in the Hubble as well as in the cultured home, in the school and the church. It is a life in the bud time of race pride and another race prejudice, and it is swelling to the blossoming. What will be the fruit? To though the race one must do more than occasionally to visit here and there, must see more than even a close examination of schools and churches instructed and aided and supported by White philanthropy will disclose. The toadying, the servile representatives of the race, the politicians, the dependent ones all must be passed by and the people found. To know the Negro one must be with him and become a part of his life. See what he is doing and above all to know what he is thinking. Go into the schools and churches where there is not a shadow of White influence to check freedom of speech or tinge thought and what do we see and hear. In every case we find those from the oldest to the youngest with some ideas upon the race question and ready to express them. Not so with White children. They are not thinking about the color of their skin or the texture of their hair or their rights and privileges or the deprivation of these rights, the contempt and ostracism following them everywhere. But the Negro child on the other hand of every shade of color has these almost constantly in mind for they are thrust upon him. He can think of little else. In such schools, in such communities, the field work, the social gathering, the literary society, the routine of school or church or community life, the platform, all are tinctured deeply with these ideas and these are expressed in some form on every possible occasion. All these questions are in a large degree to the race as far as interest is concerned at least the momentous, the ever-present, ever-burning topic. No youth of the White race feels the weight of any subject agitating the mind of the public as these colored youths feel this one. What is the omen when boys and girls alike make it a common question in some form or other for all their daily work? It has been said that the two races are growing apart, that there is as much race prejudice in the one as in the other. In many respects, this is true, though the prejudice on the part of the Negro is a thing of natural growth from certain causes, not an inherent quality. The fact that the Negro is rising without anything like adequate recognition, at least other than a patronizing one, is one of these causes. As here and there the Negro comes to the white man's higher level, among the best he is confronted with that, ah, you are here, ah, which means more than words can express, and he straightway feels his pulse is stirred to the defenseless counter-spirit of, I am, and what are you going to do about it? The result is the two mutually draw back from each other. Among the middle classes, where the level of the whites intellectually and financially is more readily and more rapidly being reached by the greater number of Negroes, there is still more prejudice to be found. It is here where the Negro has his fiercest battleground. It is here where he finds his greatest opposition. It is only following out the idea of the French writer who said, quote, mediocrity alone is jealous, unquote. The constant desire of this class of white people to rise to the highest level aggravates them upon seeing a Negro reaching out for or obtaining in any way that which they may have or may be seeking. And they take it out by greater assumption of superiority, especially over those of the race who have reached their own plane of living. And here again is a creation of a counter-prejudice. Growing refinement brings with it to the Negro all that sensitivity which is accorded to the refined people were ever found. And naturally he recoils from rebuffs, insults, and contumely and holds himself aloof more and more only as business demands contact. He has no growing reason to revere the whites as a mass. And if nations are proverbially ungrateful, what more can be expected of individuals, no matter how much fine theorizing there may be upon the subject of what the Negro owes to the white man? With this increasing prejudice, the reasons named there is a growing race pride. This is taking firm root among the young people of the Negro race who are being taught to respect those of their own number who have obtained honor and distinction through merit. The schoolboy and schoolgirl are studying the history of their own race with eagerness. They are finding out that it is not altogether degraded people from which they have sprung, and with the gathering evidences about them of education, refinement, even wealth, and high character. They see no good reason why they should be despised for mere color or the possession of some imperceptible drops of Negro blood, as in many cases. This is a laudable pride based upon both the past and present, and as we have said, they are more alive to all that pertains to race matters than any other set of young people whom we are able to mention. What is the omen? Thank you that the growing generation will tamely submit to the endless continuance of present and past grievances. Thank you that this thoughtfulness of the Negro youth will be without some sort of fruit. Will these not have as much influence upon their ignorant brother masses as have the whites over the ignorant masses of their own color? I repeat, the white man does not thoroughly know the Negro. He does not begin to see all that boils and sees and ferments in the brains of this growing class. It is well for the nation to learn wisdom from the mouths of babes and sucklings, and when these prattle of race issues, it is an omen not to be unheeded. End of topic 28